“Darcy will be a tremendous asset to Everybody Wins! USA as we strive to reach our 5-year goal of providing one-on-one reading mentors to 50,000 children weekly across the country,” said National Executive Director, Olivia Mathews. “Darcy’s great success in expanding Everybody Wins! Metro Boston has given her unique preparation for this new challenge. I am personally thrilled to welcome Darcy to Everybody Wins! USA.”

Madden, who has led Everybody Wins! Metro Boston since 2007, said, “I have been so fortunate to work with a wonderful team to improve literacy for children throughout greater Boston during the past 5 years. I am excited about the opportunity to build upon my experience with Everybody Wins! in Boston to further strengthen and expand the Everybody Wins! Power Lunch program nationally.”

Olivia first joined EVERYBODY WINS! as a program coordinator in the New York City public schools in 1995. Her related experience includes working as an assistant principal at a public school in Cambridge, MA, and earning an Ed.M. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Administration. In 2002, she founded Everybody Wins! Metro Boston (EWMB). In her five years of leadership at EWMB, Olivia raised more than $500,000 and brought more than 30 corporate groups together to participate in the Power Lunch program. Under her leadership EVERYBODY WINS! Metro Boston grew to a paid staff of ten and trained a network of more than 500 volunteer mentors to read one-on-one weekly with children at schools in the Boston area.

Olivia states: “I am really excited to dedicate my energy to helping the Everybody Wins! network to grow nationally, and look forward to bringing reading mentors into the lives of thousands of additional children across the country.”

Portland, OR, October 25, 2010  — MrsP.com, the award-winning, interactive digital storybook website for children, announced the release today of its first iPhone application — Mrs. P’s Reader Challenge http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mrs-p/id398450178?mt=8# .  The free app helps kids improve their reading and comprehension skills using a quirky multiple-choice game that rewards winners with a pot of gold.

The easy-to-use app, co-created by a Hollywood production team, features five popular stories from MrsP.com’s Magic Library, including The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Princess and the Pea. The game is brought to life using the voice and image of TV celebrity Kathy Kinney (The Drew Carey Show) as Mrs. P.

“There are so many apps out there but nothing quite like this – a fun and funny game to help kids become better readers while they’re on the go,” said Kinney.  “I’m excited I finally get to show it off.”

Mrs. P’s Reader Challenge app, designed for kids between the ages of 4-10, continues the company’s mission to provide children and parents with interactive educational content in kid-friendly environments anywhere and anytime they want it.

Early or slower readers who need a little help playing the Reading Challenge game can visit MrsP.com, where Mrs. P will read the stories to them before they take the quiz.  “Every part of the Mrs. P world works with every other part, whether it’s one of our video stories, games, books or apps,” Kinney said.  “We’re interactive in every sense of the word.”

MrsP.com provides a free, safe (no ads) and fun online destination for children, parents, and teachers. Additional word games, writing contests, coloring sheets and activity guides can also be found at MrsP.com which, since its launch in 2008, has become one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed children’s websites in the world.

To download the free Mrs. P’s Reader Challenge app, please visit:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mrs-p/id398450178?mt=8#

A program called “Everybody Wins Iowa” began in 2002 and now there’s proof it’s working. New statistics show 84-percent of students in the program improved or maintained test scores during the Spring 2010 Analytical Reading Inventory Test.

Forty-five-percent of students improved their Iowa Test of Basic Skills reading test scores and 63-percent of students in the program improved or maintained their daily attendance.

The program works by bringing professionals in to the classroom during the lunch hour. Professionals are paired up with students for reading, lunch and fun.

“It’s just not coincidence that some of these student in Everybody Wins are the exact same ones who are making the highest gains in academic growth because I think it’s another person who cares about them who is there reading with them, spending quality time, and another person there showing how much they care for their well being,” says Windsor principal, Barry Jones.

More than 400 children in 13 Des Moines Public Schools are participating in the program. The hope is to eventually expand the program throughout the entire state.

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Nadine Owen Burton of the Power of CARE blog interviews Everybody Wins! USA Executive Director Rich Greif about Everybody Wins! and the power of social media.

Special thanks to Nadine for conducting this great interview!

You can help by writing a review of your experience with Everybody Wins! USA or any of our Everybody Wins! affiliates. Nonprofits that receive 10 or more reviews will make the GreatNonprofits Top-Rated Education Nonprofits List, and will receive promotion through GreatNonprofits, GuideStar and the media.